Outside the house, it was raining heavily. From time to time, there would be a clap of thunder. The wind blew with the rain, making people itchy all over.
The people in the small building huddled around the bonfire, sleeping close to each other. In this stormy night, only the light of the fire could give people warmth.
Only Uncle Yan was very vigilant. He always paid attention to adding firewood to keep the bonfire burning. It was rumored that the monsters were extremely afraid of fire. Time passed with the crackling sound of the burning firewood. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard a faint sound of footsteps mixed in the rain, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. It seemed to be strolling around the small building.
He hurriedly pulled himself together and quietly walked to the door. He looked outside through a gap. He didn't know when a figure was standing outside. It was less than half a meter tall, and its whole body was covered by a layer of long hair. It was very strange. A white human face slowly emerged from the hair. It had no facial features, like a piece of white paper.
He couldn't help but take a big step back in horror. If it was a real sword or a real gun, he wouldn't be afraid of anyone, but this strange thing was too scary!
Just then, a pair of warm hands held his shoulder, and a soft voice whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid."
The door was opened, and he faintly heard the mournful cry of an old woman. Then the door was closed again, as if nothing had happened.
Uncle Yan was stunned and turned his head. The man with the gray skin returned to his original position. He had been doing odd jobs with the business group since he was young, so he was quite knowledgeable. He knew that he had met a master. He sighed in relief, "Thank you. What was that thing just now?"
The man pondered for a moment and replied, "It's an evil life form similar to a nightmare beast."
Uncle Yan was shocked, "Is it a ferocious beast?"
"Kind of."
Uncle Yan returned to the bonfire and sat down worriedly. The world was getting more and more strange. Ferocious beasts evolved from animals were still within the scope of human understanding, but where did these things come from?
"Old man, when did your illness appear?" It was the man who asked him.
Uncle Yan looked at the bark-like wrinkles on his arm and sighed. "About ten days ago, many old people and children grew these things. After growing these things, they would lose their sense of touch little by little. That's why people call it Wood Palsy."
The man continued to ask, "Is it related to the heavy rain?"
Uncle Yan nodded and said, "Yes, the more humid it is, the faster it grows. If it spreads to the internal organs, the person will die. In the end, the corpse will become rotten wood."
The man frowned and his expression turned cold. The temperature in the small building immediately dropped. Uncle Yan couldn't help but move closer to the bonfire and asked carefully, "Brother, where are you going?"
The man's expression softened, and he said softly, "Just like you, I have nowhere to go, so I'm just wandering around."
Uncle Yan's heart skipped a beat. He was already very old. After getting the Wood Transformation Disease, his aging would accelerate. He was afraid that he did not have much time left to live. He and the old guys in the small building did not care, but those children would no longer have anyone to take care of them. Although he did not have much contact with this person, he could tell that he was not a bad person.
Just as he was about to speak, the man asked again, "Where is the largest human settlement here?"
"Of course it's Wuchuan City. Wuchuan City is the only city in the entire Yunling that still accepts refugees.
"Sir, if you don't mind, I'll send you to Wu Chuan in the next two days."
Uncle Yan was stunned. "You're sending us?"
"Yes."
Uncle Yan shook his head. "No, there's a flood now. There are swamps everywhere. There's no way to go."
The man smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have a way."
Uncle Yan stood up gratefully. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
The man was Luo Kai. He had used up too much of his spiritual power, and his bear was severely injured. He had lived in the forest for more than a month. He did not plan to come out, but in the past few days, he had discovered a strange disease spreading in the forest. It was the Wood Transformation Disease that Uncle Yan mentioned. All animals had a certain chance of getting this disease, including insects, birds, animals, and even some ferocious beasts. After getting this disease, their bodies would gradually show signs of turning into wood. The mysterious unknown energy would eat away at their vitality little by little. Not only would they not be able to evolve, but their bodies would also become weaker and weaker. Some would even become a strange combination of plants and animals.
After leaving the forest, he found that the human society had undergone huge changes in just a month. There was almost no place to live. The bustling cities in the past had become isolated islands separated by dense forests.
The things that he had faintly sensed before had come true. In this era of great evolution, plants were the biggest winners. Earlier, when the star energy swept across the earth, although it was only for a few seconds, the earth was like a sponge, absorbing a large amount of energy. In the following years, it was released little by little, and the plants benefited the most.
If the plants were still at the bottom of the food chain like before, they would definitely contribute the most benefits to the explosion of life. However, no life would be willing to be at the bottom. Now that the plants had evolved to deal with other life forms, the mysterious Wood Transformation Disease was born. When the peaceful plant life turned to plunder and violence, it was the biggest disaster for the whole world.
In addition, there were many strange life forms in the human society. They were similar to the nightmare beasts, but slightly different. They were more like the combination of dark creatures and nightmare beasts. They were evolved from humans. During the day, they lurked in the dark shadows and came out at night. They had the powerful hypnotic ability of the nightmare beasts, and they were good at triggering the negative emotions in the bottom of the hearts of living beings. At the same time, they also had the bloodthirsty instinct and fighting power of the dark creatures. They were called "strange monsters".
Along the way, a small number of human settlements had almost returned from an industrial society to a primitive society. Ferocious beasts were everywhere, unknown energy was lurking, and strange creatures were everywhere. The scene of the end of the human race was faintly visible.
Luo Kai closed his eyes. His spiritual power came out of his body and carefully studied the unknown energy in the air. This thing that caused the Wood Transformation Disease seemed to be a kind of chaotic energy. It had intelligence and would choose its own host.
Strong life forms were not the target of their choice. However, if they were sick or injured, they would be easily infected. In other words, the main way of transmission was through blood. The weak old people and children would be directly infected. Their vitality would be constantly strengthened, but their consciousness would be constantly weakened. It was as if they were overdrawing the vitality of the host.
He stretched out his hand and waved it gently. The unknown energy in the small building kept gathering in his hand. It finally condensed into a faint gray mist. His powerful spiritual power was like the most advanced microscope, trying to see through the true face of this energy.
At this moment, the energy in his hand seemed to have sensed something. It began to rapidly weaken and dissipate. In a short while, it turned into nothingness.
He frowned. This unknown energy really had a terrifying collective intelligence. It actually discovered that there was another life form studying it.